“So we conclude that there is still a full and complete rest waiting for believers to experience. As we enter into God’s faith-rest life, we cease from our own works, just as God celebrates His finished works and rests in them.”
(Hebrews 4:9–10)
Let me share with you, dear one, a secret found in His presence. It is not obvious to all. Some never find it. Yet to those who press deeper…those who hunger tenderly after His heart, this truth unfolds like a hidden treasure in the quiet chambers of the soul.
It is the truth of striving.
When you begin to walk the narrow road…to truly seek Him…you will meet this unseen adversary. Striving. That inward push to make things happen. To fix it yourself. To manipulate outcomes. To achieve in the flesh what only heaven can birth. You strive to be closer to Him. You strive to see the dream fulfilled. You strive and strive and strive. You strive to meet every goal by your own timeline. And all the while your weary soul just aches.
Because striving… drains the life out of you.
THE BARREN DESERT
There’s a place I’ve known…perhaps you’ve walked there too…where the heart grows dry. It’s that barren land of spiritual exhaustion, where prayers feel like echoes and worship feels heavy. You’re running on fumes, convincing yourself that you’re doing God’s work, yet your spirit is parched. The landscape stretches wide… hot… silent. Scorpions of fear. Serpents of doubt. The cruel whispers of the enemy saying, “He’s forgotten you.”
You try harder. Sweat more. Think longer.
But nothing grows there. Nothing.
And there, in that wasteland of your own effort, you discover a truth too precious for the proud: striving must die for rest to live.
THE SWEAT OF THE BROW
Remember Adam. After sin entered, God told him he would work by the sweat of his brow. Sweat was a sign of the curse, not the blessing. It was the symbol of man laboring apart from divine grace. Contrast that with the high priests in the Tabernacle. God commanded that their linen garments allow no sweat. Why? Because no fleshly effort was permitted in His holy presence. The anointing flows freely only where self-striving ceases.
Heaven’s atmosphere is peace. Stillness. Surrender.
Striving is a terrible taskmaster. It robs you of joy, fills you with anxiety, spins your thoughts into chaos. But oh… how gentle the Lord is when He whispers, “Come into My rest.”
DIVINE REST
Divine rest is not apathy. It’s not folding your arms and saying, “God will do it all.” No… it’s deeper than that. It is yielded trust. A posture of heart that says, “Abba, I don’t have to control the outcome. You are enough.”
There was a time I remember vividly…when I was burning the candle at both ends…trying to figure it all out. My father looked at me with love in his eyes and said softly, “Steve, you need to rest.” Those words… still echo. They became a voice crying in my wilderness. A father’s wisdom… and a Father’s heart.
Rest doesn’t mean quitting your post. It means ceasing from panic. It’s working with His wind in your sails instead of rowing against the current. It’s doing only what He breathes upon.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REST AND LAZINESS
Now hear me clearly, dear friend. Divine rest is not a license for laziness. There are some who’ve mistaken the revelation of rest for passivity. They sit idle, waiting for God to do everything. But divine rest is not sloth…it is Spirit-led stillness that moves when God moves.
Think of the pool at Bethesda. The lame waited for the waters to stir. They didn’t dive in until the right moment. That’s divine timing. That’s the rhythm of grace. The Bride of Christ must learn that rhythm…waiting at the edge of the pool, resting until He stirs the water, then running with holy passion the moment He says, “Now.”
No more human doing.
It’s time to become a divine being.
A CALL TO THE WEARY
Maybe you’ve been striving. Trying to make it happen. Trying to carry what was never yours to carry. Your heart is tired. Your prayers feel heavy. And you wonder why joy seems far away.
Lay it down, dear one. All of it. The plans. The timelines. The frantic need to fix and finish and prove.
Abba is calling you into the still waters. He is preparing a resting place for His bride. Not a life of inactivity…but a life of peace in the midst of purpose.
You were never meant to sweat in the holy place. You were meant to shine.
If your heart feels weary… if you’ve been striving in your own strength… this morning, come and rest. Right where you are, whisper it softly:
“Father, I surrender my striving. I lay it down. Teach me to rest in You.”
Let His peace wash over you. Feel His arms draw you close. You may feel disappointed in your weakness…He delights in your surrender.
And when you rise from this prayer, rise lighter. Rise free. Rise renewed.
The journey continues…but now… it’s no longer you striving for Him.
It’s Him living through you.
With Love,
Steve Porter
www.morningglorydevo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment